3

I want to go buy a gift.

Which parts of speech are "go" and "buy"?

I am confused about this sentence.

Improve this question
5
  • Perhaps, it is the same as get going (idiomatic expression). It looks like a typo. I expect to say: go to buy, or go and buy ...
    – Klikdesainweb
    Mar 2, 2016 at 17:10
  • 2
    Related question: “To go to buy” or “to go buy”? @HermanNz you may find the discussion there interesting too.
    – ColleenV
    Mar 2, 2016 at 17:33
  • 3
    @HermanNz Not a typo. But both are verbs. I think it's prevalent in AmE. And it's not by any means similar to get going.
    – Man_From_India
    Mar 2, 2016 at 17:33
  • I know that both are verbs @Man_From_India.
    – Klikdesainweb
    Mar 2, 2016 at 17:34
  • 3
    Look up the Quasi-Serial Verb (QSV) construction, e.g. Constraints on Intransitive Quasi-Serial Verb Constructions in Modern Colloquial English (Pullum 1990). It's been given a number of other labels, such as the go get construction or the go-V construction or the double verb construction.
    – user230
    Mar 2, 2016 at 20:07

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3

I want to go buy a gift.

"to go" and "to buy" are verbs, of course. The sentence is a shortened form of "I want to go and buy a gift/present". You could also say: I want to go (in order) to buy a present.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .